Eva's Duet
by cocoacoconuts24
Summary: A three-act story about Eva, her duet partner, and the complicated responsibilities of being someone's friend.
1. Act 1

_10 years ago - Junior year of high school_

"You never told me you were seeing someone!" Eva yelled over the cacophony of the music room.

"Shhh! Keep it down," Cecilia hissed, casting panicked glances around the room, but everyone was too engrossed in their flutes, trombones, and violins to pay much heed.

After all, Advanced Music class composed only of the most serious and focused musicians; Beginning and Intermediate Music had weeded out the weak and lazy. Eva wouldn't call herself a snob, but she was glad she no longer had to sit in class with unmotivated teens who just wanted an easy A for their fine arts requirement.

"But this is big news!" said Eva, a little hurt that her friend had kept her out of the loop. "Were you ever going to tell me about this?"

"Look, it's...really not the big deal you're imagining. I assure you, it really isn't," said Cecilia. She really did look thoroughly embarrassed.

"Well, may I at least know who it is? Anyone I know?"

"Umm...Well, he's never hung out with us, so...I don't think so?"

Eva racked her brains for all the guys who had courted Cecilia for the two years she had known her. And there had been quite a few guys. No surprise, really.

Cecilia somehow cracked the code for distinguishing herself from the crowd, a feat which Eva had always admired and envied. Cecilia's strawberry blond curls with a streak of dashing pink. Her intense assertiveness and spitfire personality contained in her petite frame. Her openness about her tragic life. Eva never dared tell anyone, but she suspected it was this last trait that really drew people to Cecilia - that made everyone want to shower her with love and friendship. Cecilia was special — a survivor — and their classmates clamored to feel like a part of her inner circle. Everyone craved the privilege of being the bright spot in Cecilia's otherwise unfortunate life.

Thus, Cecilia didn't have to work very hard to earn people's friendship; friends just fell willingly into her lap. Eva, on the other hand, with her relatively happy and normal life, faced a steeper uphill battle when it came to making friends. Compared to her exceptional gem of a friend, Eva felt quite ordinary and boring.

The music instructor, Mrs. Feinberg, rapped loudly on her desk. "Alright, everyone. Settle down. I'm terrible with names, so please remain quiet, and I promise not to butcher your name on purpose."

She took attendance, each student responding with various degrees of alertness. It was the first class of the morning, after all, and half the students were still in a sleep-deprived stupor. Eva only recognized a few faces in the crowd; the majority of the class composed of seniors.

"Alright then," said Mrs. Feinberg, stowing away the attendance sheet and pulling out a large mug in the shape of Beethoven's head. "Today, we're going to start our duet projects. I'm going to pull two random names at a time from our friend Ludwig here, and those two people are going to be duet partners."

An excited murmur filled the room. Eva glanced at Cecilia, and they both held up crossed fingers.

Mrs. Feinberg rapped on her desk again. "Now, there are an odd number of you today, so we'll be left with one group of three. Whoever is the last name to be drawn from the mug gets to choose a group to join."

Two by two, Mrs. Feinberg drew slips of paper from Beethoven's head. With each name called out, the students rearranged their seats to join their new partners. Some partnerships were met with glee, some with indifference, and perhaps one or two with disgust.

"Cecilia Warren," called Mrs. Feinberg, "And..."

Cecilia reached for Eva's hand.

"...Neil Watts."

"Pickles...Better luck next time, huh, Cecilia?" said Eva, turning to her friend. "...Cecilia?"

Cecilia didn't look disappointed; she looked utterly crest-fallen. Her eyes darted around the music room as more than a few people snorted and giggled.

Eva didn't see what was so funny. Was it that lanky kid with the thick glasses lugging his saxophone case to the empty seat next to Cecilia? Neil, was it? Eva could see how shallow people would perceive this guy as nerdy. He had an outdated chestnut brown haircut, and his skin looked deprived of sunlight. He had on a t-shirt with some anime character on it, and a pair of baggy shorts. But even so, people don't make fun of nerds these days, Eva thought. "Nerdy" was the new "cool."

This guy sat down mutely on Cecilia's other side. Cecilia kept her eyes on the whiteboard with as much dignity as she could muster with her face burning beet red. Eva tried to catch her eye, but failed. What was going on?

"Er-HEM! Eva Rosalene!" snapped Mrs. Feinberg.

"Oh! Yes?"

"I was asking you which group you'd like to join. You're the odd one out, so you're the lucky person who gets to choose a group."

Eva sighed with relief, "Oh, well that's easy. I'm with Cecilia."

Eva chanced a tentative smile at Cecilia, who gazed back at her with more desperation than relief. The guy, Neil, gave Eva little more than a cursory glance before turning back to the teacher.

"Very well, then," said Mrs. Feinberg. "You, Cecilia, and Neil will be our group of three. Now, I'm going to pass out copies of the song list. Your group will have ten minutes to decide on a song to arrange, practice, and finally perform at the end of the semester."

The stack of lists went around the class. An excited chatter filled the room. At least people had stopped snickering for whatever reason. Eva, Cecilia, and Neil pored over the song list in awkward silence. Eva was glad to be on a team with her friend, but she wondered how much more of this tension she could stand.

"What about the _Pink Panther_ theme?" suggested Eva.

"Meh, that's kinda overdone," said Neil. His voice cracked, as if from lack of use, but crackled with an arrogance that surprised Eva.

"Alright...What about _Over the Rainbow_?"

"Don't we need ukeleles for that?" said Neil.

"_What a Wonderful World_?"

"Urgh. Not with that much cheese, it ain't."

"Okayyy...Would _you_ like to suggest something?"

Neil frowned at the list for a full two minutes before leaning back in his chair decidedly. "All these songs suck," he appraised.

"Well, our opinions don't really matter. We still have to pick one."

"I'm not playing these," said Neil, obstinately.

Eva tried to keep her voice calm. "What do you think, Cecilia?"

Cecilia stared blankly at the page. Eva couldn't tell if she was even listening.

Neil nudged Cecilia with his elbow. "Ceci agrees with me. We're too good for this drivel, right, Ceci?"

Eva was taken aback. "Ceci?"

Neil gave a patronizing chuckle. "Well, 'Cecilia' to you."

Ok, who IS this guy? Eva gaped at the two of them, too indignant and bewildered to speak.

Cecilia shot them both warning looks. "Alright, guys. Just chill out."

"How do you two know each other?" demanded Eva.

"We're - Ow!" began Neil, before Cecilia kicked him in the shin.

"Neil, don't. You promised," threatened Cecilia through clenched teeth.

Eva looked from Cecilia to Neil and back again. And it dawned on her. Like a pile of bricks.

Just then, the door burst open and a student stumbled in. "I'm so sorry I'm late!" panted the student. She must have run a mile.

"Oh, no, actually this is perfect!" said Mrs. Feinberg. "We now have an even number of students, which means we no longer need our group of three."

She turned to Eva's group. "Any one of you want to partner with this young lady?"

Eva's hand shot up immediately. But she wasn't fast enough.

The rest of her life might have been drastically different if her hand had been the first in the air that day.

"Cecilia, your hand was up first. You can partner with...erm..."

"Gertrude," said the girl.

"Yes, Gertrude. You and Cecilia are now partners. "

Eva and Neil gaped flabbergasted at Cecilia, who stood up without looking at either of them. She picked up her flute case and joined Gertrude on the other side of the room — her face dignified, yet unmistakably relieved.

"Neil. Eva. You two are now partners," said Mrs. Feinberg. It felt like she had handed down a prison sentence.

"Well, this sucks melon balls," muttered Eva. She turned to Neil.

"Don't even talk to me," said Neil.

Eva slowly averted her gaze.

To be continued...


	2. Act 2

"I'm sorry, Eva, but the teams have been set. You've already been given the chance to choose your group and you've made your choice."

"But the whole point was to be partnered with Cecilia! Can't I just switch with Gertrude, and she can partner with Neil instead?" Eva pleaded.

"If I allowed that, everyone else will want to switch with whomever they pleased, and that'll defeat the purpose of randomized groups."

Eva slumped a little in her chair. Mrs. Feinberg gave Eva a pitying look from across her messy desk.

"Believe me, Eva, you're not the only one unhappy with their partner assignment. But you know, the heart of creativity is thinking of novel solutions to obstacles, such as working with incompatible partners. I assure you, this won't be the last time in your life you'll have to deal with this."

Eva never understood the notion of deliberately making life hard to prepare oneself for a hard life. But she didn't come here to argue about that.

"Besides," continued Mrs. Feinberg, shuffling her papers as if wrapping up the conversation. "You play baritone sax, correct?"

"...Yes."

"Neil plays tenor sax, and he's actually quite advanced, even for this class. He had tested out of Beginner and Intermediate Music, after all. You're also quite talented yourself, Eva. Between the two of you, I think you can come up with something you'll both take great pride in."

This was going nowhere. Eva stood up. "Well...Thank you for your time, Mrs. Feinberg. I appreciate your advice."

She swiftly left the stuffy office before Mrs. Feinberg said another word. Just outside the office door, however-

"Oh! Eva..."

It was Cecilia. Eva strode past her, with barely a pause. "Sorry, Cecilia, I need to get to the student council meeting."

"...Are you still mad at me?"

Eva kept walking.

"Oh, Eva. Don't be so petty. I wasn't _trying_ to screw you over or ditch you."

Eva whipped around. "I'm just going to a freaking meeting, okay? Not everything is about you!"

Eva immediately regretted it. Cecilia looked like she had been slapped in the face.

"Look, Cecilia, I - "

Cecilia hurried off down the hall in the other direction.

Nothing like starting the school year off on the right foot...

* * *

Eva and Cecilia spent the next day in icy silence. During their lunch break, Eva, rather than sit alone at the picnic tables like a loser, decided to bring her lunch to her next class - Advanced English Literature. Mr. Brandt usually left his door open during break periods.

Today, however, not only did Eva find the door closed, but there was already someone having lunch beside it.

Neil Watts sat cross-legged on the ground, hunched over a comic book. A lunchbox featuring a faded Batman and Robin laid open beside him, revealing the torn-off crust of a sandwich.

"Hey, Neil," said Eva, tentatively.

Neil barely spared her a glance. "Hey...you."

"It's Eva."

"Okay."

Eva was not in the mood for yet another altercation. "Mr. Brandt's not here?"

"Obviously."

"Mind if I join you?"

Neil didn't say anything. Eva didn't know if her bad day just made her paranoid, but she thought she heard him groan under his breath.

Eva sat down opposite him, and pulled out her homemade pasta salad.

"So whatcha reading there?" asked Eva.

"Look, does anyone actually enjoy small talk? 'Cause I sure don't," grumbled Neil.

"Okayyy...Can we talk about our duet project, then?"

"I play melody. You play accompaniment. We'll meet after school on Tuesdays to practice, and we'll decide a song later. Anything else?"

Eva blinked. "Umm, I actually have tennis practice on Tuesdays."

"Fine. Wednesdays. Any objections?"

"I have student government on Wednesdays."

"God, why does the world hate me? FINE. Thursdays?"

"...Thursdays work."

"Good. Then it's settled." Neil promptly returned to his comic book.

Eva sat there stupefied before returning to her pasta salad. How the blazing hell did Cecilia end up dating _this_ prick? She's been dying to ask since that day in music class, but neither Cecilia nor Neil seemed particularly eager to speak to her about anything.

_C'mon, Eva, don't bring yourself down again_, she thought. It's like what her older sister, Traci, always said: When people give you crap, there's no sweeter vindication than giving them kindness in return.

She's going to make things right with Cecilia. She's going to make every effort to befriend Neil. And if they don't like it — well, they can go fuck themselves, 'cause she was going to be kind and friendly to them anyway!

Filled with this newfound, burning resolve, she boldly broached another conversation.

"So Neil, I heard wonderful things about your saxophone playing. Mrs. Feinberg said you're exceptionally talented."

Neil spared her a glance over the top of his comic book. "When did she say that?"

"I...just ran into her on the way here, and we chatted for a moment," Eva said as cheerfully as she could. God, she had to be the world's most transparent liar.

Neil returned to his comic book. "You and your small talk."

"Oh, hi there, you two! Didn't mean to leave you out in the cold! Sorry about that," came an affable voice. Mr. Brandt had returned - Eva's saving grace.

Eva swiftly gathered up her things to follow Mr. Brandt into the classroom. Well, she survived this time. Sometimes - just sometimes — the world throws you a bone.

Neil remained sitting outside until the bell rang.

* * *

Thursday rolled around. Eva waited for Neil on a bench in the main quad with her saxophone case sitting beside her. The bell had rung almost ten minutes ago. Where was he? Other than the few students milling about here and there, the quad looked deserted.

Eva heard a gaggle of people approaching from behind. She turned, and stupidly crouched on reflex, despite sitting smack dab in plain view with zero cover.

There was Cecilia, chatting animatedly with her group of friends, most of whom Eva barely knew. Eva teetered on the edge of calling out to her, when-

"Ceci!"

Neil came bounding out of nowhere, trying to catch up with Cecilia's group as fast as his bulging backpack and heavy saxophone case would allow.

A raucous "Awwww!" erupted from Cecilia's friends, followed by barely suppressed snickering. Cecilia looked like she wanted to punch something. She motioned to the group to move along without her. They moseyed onward, leaving Neil to catch up to Cecilia.

Neil set down his saxophone case, and doubled over, catching his breath.

Neither of them seem to have spotted Eva yet, and she wondered whether she should join them, call out to them, or hide.

"Neil," said Cecilia, exasperated. "I thought I told you not to — "

"Movies...Saturday...Date?" panted Neil.

"I...have a lot of homework this weekend, Neil. I can't."

Neil looked up at her. "On the...first week of the semester?"

"Well...I just — "

Neil waved it off. "You know what, it's fine. No worries. I'll catch you some other time, yeah?"

Neil grabbed his saxophone case and lumbered his way to Eva. Eva finally caught Cecilia's eye, and gave a tentative smile and wave. Cecilia stared back, and half-heartedly waved before turning to follow her friends.

"Tough luck, huh?" Eva sympathized.

"Hey, for your information..." Neil scanned the quad to make sure Cecilia was out of ear shot. He hissed, "For your information, Ceci and I _have_ gone out. Twice."

"I wasn't doubting that," said Eva.

"We've got something truly meaningful goin' on — just her and me."

"Again, not doubting that."

"She and I have so much in common, it's ridonkulous!"

"Mmm...I don't know about that..."

"Hey, this is none of your business, okay?" Neil snapped. With a groan, he unshouldered his backpack, and plopped down on the bench next to Eva.

"She's my friend too, you know," Eva huffed.

"That's news to me. She never mentioned you."

...Ouch. "But we _have_ been friends for two years," Eva parried. "Just because she's never mentioned it to you, doesn't mean it's not true. Besides, she never told me about _you_ either."

"That's because she's embarrassed to be associated with me, let alone date me," said Neil, matter-of-factly.

A heavy pause.

"What makes you think that she's - ?" said Eva, but hesitated. That's a dumb question, really, and the withering look on Neil's face confirmed it.

"I mean, she went out with you regardless, right?" recovered Eva.

"Is that supposed to be good enough for me? What about you? Does your friendship with Cecilia make complete sense to you? Or do you muddle through with some blind faith that you're just as important to her as she is to you?"

Eva watched a leaf skitter across the ground.

"I don't think I'd be okay with not knowing whether I matter to her or not..." she mused. "But that has more to do with my own issues, not Cecilia's."

Neil stared at Eva, his face unreadable.

He sighed, "Look, can we...just get to practicing please?"

"...Alright."

He stooped down to undo the latch of his saxophone case and revealed a gleaming beauty nestled in its velvet lining.

Eva opened up her case. Her saxophone wasn't quite as polished and pretty as Neil's. He scrutinized her saxophone, and she stared back almost defiantly.

"Baritone, huh?" he said.

"Yup. That's a beautiful tenor you've got."

"This here's Old Rusty," boasted Neil. "My grandpa gave it to me for my twelfth birthday."

"Rusty? I could see my _reflection_ in it!"

"It's a misnomer, butthead. You really are deaf to irony, aren't you?"

Eva wondered if she would ever have a conversation with Neil without feeling like she was losing some contest.

"Let's just play, all right?" she said, pulling out the song list from her backpack.

"What're you pullin' that out for? I told you already. I ain't touching any of those songs."

"But...Mrs. Feinberg told us — "

"That old bat just wants us to arrange something and perform it. D'you really think she'll dock us if we play something that's not on her stupid list, as long as we do it well?"

"Umm...Yes, actually."

"Well, then let's show her up! Shake things up a bit."

"Neil, I really don't want to — "

Neil blew a lively, jazzy tune from his sax. Eva sat stock still. He _was_ good. Really good. He played with an infectious gusto that flowed into his music, like a cup overflowing into a saucer. She thoroughly wished admiration didn't have to come with that sting of self-inadequacy.

Neil finished his song, and shrugged with a conceited grin. "Just a little something I made up on the spot. Nothing amazing. They don't call me Flippant Fingers for nothing!"

"Who's '_they_'?"

"Me. And now you."

"...First off, no. Second, wouldn't you mean 'we'?"

"Fine. We don't call me Flippant Fingers for nothing!"

Eva couldn't help but laugh. "Careful. That kind of stupid might give people aneurysms."

Eva picked up her sax, determined to do herself justice. She browsed her repertoire in her head — her arsenal — for her best song.

She launched into a soulful, bluesy melody, blocking out Neil, her thoughts, and everything else, until it was just her and her song.

Ahh, yes — to be back in her element again! With all the things she's screwed up over the past week, it felt amazing to regain some kind of groove — some semblance of competence! She savored every note of this moment until the very end. She tried gauging Neil's response, but his stupid reflective glasses made his expression hard to read.

"Meh, that's bearable, I guess. But let's see if you can top _this_!" challenged Neil.

He blew out another, slower tune, cramming in ridiculous, unnecessary musical runs and embellishments in every measure. Underneath his over-the-top theatrics, Eva heard a melody she recognized.

_Moon River._

Not to be outdone, Eva jumped into the song, throwing down every bit of musical acrobatics she knew. Their resulting song, of course, was chaotic, improvised, and out of sync several times. (Neil tried changing keys on Eva, but she kept up without missing a beat.) Yet, somewhere in all that mess, they maintained a kind of dysfunctional harmony throughout the entire song. It worked — obviously not in a way that would qualify it for Mrs. Feinberg's assignment, but for right now, it didn't matter. Eva had never felt so deliciously pretentious as a musician — and it was _fun_!

They exchanged musical jabs back and forth until the sun went down, and they had to return home. The song list was all but forgotten in Eva's backpack.

* * *

For most students, Saturday couldn't come soon enough. The first week of the school year always felt like the longest to Eva, since it was always jam-packed with new experiences and new faces.

Eva approached this Saturday, however, with a pit of anxiety in her stomach.

She sat at one of the chess tables in the sprawling park near school. It was a sunny, cool September afternoon. Eva watched as people walked their dogs and joggers huffed past.

Eva checked her phone. Cecilia was late, but Eva worried more about what they would discuss once she arrived — not to mention the ramifications of their meeting up at all.

"Wait, let me get this straight," Eva had said the other day. "You turned down a date with Neil on Saturday, so that you could meet with me?"

"Look, I know this sounds messed up — " said Cecilia.

"It _is_ messed up!"

" — But this just happens to be a more pressing issue, okay? Just...bear with me."

That was Friday. Eva had to admit, she was dying to ask Cecilia a thing or two about what's been going on, and why this had to be kept a secret until now. On the other hand, Eva wished it didn't have to come at Neil's expense. She couldn't pinpoint why exactly, but she felt sorry for the guy. He's more dependent on Cecilia than he'll ever let on.

"Hey," came a voice.

"Cecilia," said Eva, turning to see her friend.

"Eva, before you say anything else, there's just something I gotta get off my chest," said Cecilia.

"Okay."

"I think you owe me an apology."

"...What?"

"That day, outside of Mrs. Feinberg's office...You brushed me off, and snapped at me, remember?"

Eva was taken aback. "After I was accused of being petty."

"And I regret saying that. You're not a petty person, Eva. In fact, you're one of the kindest, most caring people I know. But still, I don't think I deserve getting treated like a nuisance, do you?"

Eva felt as though a pin was lodging itself into her chest.

"Of course not..." mumbled Eva. "I'm sorry, Cecilia." Best not to bring up the fact that Cecilia treats Neil like a nuisance all the time.

"Good." Cecilia sat down across from Eva at the chess table. "So...what's it like working with Neil?"

"He's...quite the character, all right," said Eva, grateful for the change in subject. "I can't make heads nor tails of what he's about, but..."

She remembered her conversation with Neil during their first saxophone practice.

"How did you two end up together anyway?" Eva asked.

Cecilia gave a small laugh. "I thought you'd ask that. We were in math class together in summer school. He always sat by himself at the back of the classroom — never talked to anyone. One day, I just decided to spend lunch with him. We got to talking. I told him a lot of personal stuff about myself, and I think that got him to open up a bit. Trust me, it was like pulling teeth, but he did eventually open up. Then from there, we just kinda bonded. We've been through pretty similar hardships; we both have absentee fathers, for instance. At least I have my stepdad and he has his grandfather. Still, I get the sense that he doesn't have a lot of people to relate to. And then, I don't know, he just asked me out one day."

"What made you say yes?"

"I guess...I just felt bad for him. He looked like he needed company. And I can't turn down someone in need."

"But what about you? What do you get out of it?"

Cecilia gazed thoughtfully at the geese waddling about on the lawn nearby.

"Are you even attracted to him?" Eva asked tentatively.

Cecilia shrugged. "Not really, no."

"Oh..." Eva didn't know what to make of that information.

"Neil just needs someone to get along with, and I happen to be someone who fits the bill. If you're asking what I get out of it, I'd have to say...gratification in being friends with a less fortunate person."

"If it's so gratifying, why do you push him away?" Eva gripped the edge of her chair. Has she gone too far?

"Eva, have you ever been relentlessly teased about a guy liking you?"

"...No."

"Well, I've had to deal with that ever since my friends found out Neil and I were dating. They're not malicious people, but...all that teasing still gets to me. And I don't know, I guess I take my frustrations out on Neil. It's not right, but that's what ends up happening."

"You make it sound like it's unavoidable."

Cecilia waved it off. "Yeah, well, I'll grin and bear it. I don't know what kind of mess Neil will turn into if I dump him."

Eva frowned. "I don't know...I mean, that's admirable to be his friend and all. I just feel like he'd appreciate a relationship built on a more solid foundation than pity."

"What does it matter? A friendship's a friendship, isn't it?"

Eva stared at Cecilia, doubtful.

"Besides," said Cecilia. "Why do you think my friends hang out with me in the first place?"

Eva pursed her lips. She would rather go on a date with Neil herself, than give Cecilia her honest answer.

"It's because I'm a wonderful human being," said Cecilia. "I understand my friends in a way that not a lot of others do. I give compassion and empathy to those who don't get a lot of it in their daily lives. I can pinpoint exactly what someone needs and give it to them. And I take great pride in being that person."

Cecilia stared at Eva with that hard glint in her eyes. "I hope you're not implying there's something wrong with that," said Cecilia.

Eva felt another stab in her chest. How is this fair?!

"So how's that homework coming along, Ceci?" said a voice behind Eva.

It was Neil.

Eva shut her eyes. What else, God? What else?

"Oh, Neil," said Cecilia, a little too cheerfully. "What're you doing here?"

"I live here," Neil said shortly.

"Here in the park?" asked Eva.

"No, you idiot. You see those houses over there?" He pointed toward the townhouses bordering the park beyond a set of wrought iron gates. "I live there."

"Oh. Pretty neighborhood..." Eva trailed off.

Neil stared hard at Cecilia.

"Look, Neil, I can explain," said Cecilia.

Neil shrugged, and pulled out his wallet. "No explanation needed. Since you'd rather shun me for a week, and then spend the weekend with your gal pal, why don't you go see a movie together?"

He slapped two movie tickets onto the chess table between them.

"And while you're at it, why don't you guys grab a pizza?"

He threw down a two-for-one coupon for Frankie's Pizzeria.

"Take 'em," said Neil. "I won't need them anymore."

"Neil - " said Cecilia.

"No, really! It's fine! Please, carry on with your day, and forget that I ever waltzed so inconveniently into it!"

Neil marched away without another word.

Cecilia shook her head. "Don't mind him. He's prone to being a drama queen."

Eva stared down glassy-eyed at the chessboard, and didn't respond.

* * *

From: rhona_feinberg

To: EvaRosalene

Subject: Duet group

Hello Eva,

I recently had a talk with Neil, and it's come to my attention that the two of you haven't been productive for the past week. He has also mentioned some sort of conflict that makes it exceedingly difficult for the two of you to work together.

With the deadline approaching, I am forced to reconsider my words to you regarding incompatible partners. I want the both of you to do your best work, and so I am making a judgement call.

Thus, starting today, you will be paired up with Cecilia as you had earlier requested. Neil will be paired with Gertrude. I hope everyone can now work productively with less stress.

Sincerely,

Rhona Feinberg

To be continued...


	3. Act 3 - Final

"Eva, you're deviating from the sheet music again," scolded Cecilia.

Eva snapped out of her reverie. "Oh...sorry."

"Come on, get your head in the game. I worked hard writing this arrangement; the least you could do is follow it," said Cecilia, annoyed.

Eva stared listlessly at the handwritten sheet music in front of her. It was covered in scribbles and notes from Cecilia and Gertrude. The _Pink Panther_ theme.

Cecilia raked her fingers through her hair. "Look. I'm sorry for getting testy with you. Things have just been rough on me lately."

"Join the club," said Eva, slumping on Cecilia's living room couch.

It was the last day before their duet performance. Cecilia and Eva had been grinding out practice after practice any free hour they could get. They had a decent arrangement, and they had nearly perfected their duet. But the whole thing felt like a chore. More and more often, Eva found herself drifting back to that first unproductive, but deliriously fun practice session with Neil, and her insides would shrivel in bitter regret and confusion all over again.

Neil hadn't spoken to either Eva or Cecilia since that day in the park two weeks ago. He'd spend the entirety of music class on the opposite side of the classroom with his new partner, Gertrude. Eva had tried talking to him, but without avail. Half the time, Cecilia would gently restrain Eva, shaking her head.

"Give him some space," Cecilia would say.

_But why me?_ thought Eva. _I understand why he's avoiding his ex-girlfriend, but why is he shunning me as well?_

Eva really thought she stood a chance at a friendship with that nerdy prick...

Eva blew a few notes absentmindedly into her saxophone. That's when she noticed Cecilia's head bowed. Eva thought she heard a sniffle.

"...Cecilia?"

Cecilia straightened up and took a deep breath. "I'm fine."

"Umm, you okay? Do you wanna take a break?"

"I just said I'm fine."

"But you're crying."

Cecilia rolled her eyes. "It's just family stuff, okay? Don't worry about me. I've already spilled my guts to seven or eight close friends about this; I don't think I can bring myself to talk about it again."

Eva stared at her fingers, still poised on the saxophone. "You can talk to me about anything. You know that, right? I wish there was something I could do."

"There's nothing you can do. As I've said, my friends have already talked to me. I don't want to discuss this any further."

Cecilia began rehearsing the song for the umpteenth time on her flute. Eva merely sat there, as a solemn realization closed in upon her like a shadow.

"...Cecilia."

Cecilia paused her playing and looked at Eva.

"Do you..." Eva swallowed, and tried to keep her voice steady. "Do you need me?"

"What?"

"Do you ever need me for anything? Do you ever rely on me for companionship? Reassurance? Affection? ...Anything?"

They locked eyes. Cecilia's face morphed from surprise to incredulity.

"Are you shitting me right now? Really, Eva?"

"I...I just need to know if you need me, because I don't think you do, and it's killing me — "

Cecilia gripped her messy curls in frustration. "Oh my actual God. I'm sitting here trying to hold myself together long enough to get our shit done, and you have the gall to _not only_ insist on pushing the subject, but also make it about _you_?"

"Hey, I have things weighing on my mind, too, you know!"

"Oh sweetie, that's _precious_! What problems — in your excruciatingly perfect, privileged life — are you foisting onto me, now of all times? Huh? Do you have a stepdad in the hospital? Do you have relatives who don't remember your name, but remember to pester you about inheritance money? Do you have to throw college out the window because you're now the breadwinner of the household?"

Cecilia leaned forward, her eyes glistening. "Or are you just sad that some nerd, who used to fray your last nerve, doesn't want to play with you anymore?"

Eva stood up. She stowed away her saxophone and sheet music in her case, and exited the house.

The 87 bus, which Eva had taken from her house to Cecilia's, had just pulled into the bus stop on the corner. Eva strode right past it, and walked the three miles back to her house.

* * *

Eva was never a night owl. She'd normally go to bed by midnight at the latest, even during the weekends.

On this particular night, however...

Eva lay curled up on her bed, staring into the glaring light of her cell phone — the only source of light in her bedroom.

It was 3 a.m. after all. Her parents were asleep down the hall, but Eva didn't want them to know she was still awake.

She sorely wished someone — anyone — else were awake, however. She scrolled down her contacts list. Most of these people were classmates, tennis teammates, or old friends from middle school who have since fell out of touch. She didn't feel right calling any of them.

She paused on an entry in her contacts: Neil Watts.

_Now you're just being ridiculous_, thought Eva. If he didn't want to speak to her during the day, what made her think he'd appreciate getting called up in the middle of the night? No way would she sink to that level of desperation.

They weren't friends.

_I just feel like he'd appreciate a relationship built on a more solid foundation than pity._

That's what Eva had said. The memory stuck her like a pin needle. What right did Eva have asking for sympathy from Neil after making statement like that? If only she didn't pine for it so much...

She kept scrolling through her list of acquaintances. This is what happens when I'm too picky about my friends, Eva thought ruefully.

She wasn't exactly friendless, however. She had a few casual buddies at school, as well as her older sister, Traci. But those casual buddies never reached out to Eva in times of crises; she didn't want to depend on them more than they could reciprocate. And Traci was away at college. Not to mention, it was 3 a.m., and Eva didn't have the heart to wake anyone up just so she could vent, despite needing it more than anything.

So she merely sat there, staring at her phone screen in utter paralysis.

No matter what Cecilia had said, few things in the world sucked more than feeling alone, un-needed, and unable to reach out to anyone. At least Cecilia had several friends rally around her. Why wasn't Eva one of those friends that Cecilia relied on?

_Am I anyone's best friend anymore?_ thought Eva.

Eva buried her face in her pillow in mortification. Cecilia was right. Cecilia had her own major issues to deal with, and Eva just had to bring up her own trivial problems and childish neediness.

But then again, were her problems really that trivial if they kept her awake and alone at this ungodly hour? What was she supposed to do about them?

It was nearly 4 a.m. when Eva finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The music room buzzed with the usual discord as partners crammed in some last-minute practice. Eva arrived five minutes late with puffy eyes, but luckily, the rest of the class were too busy panicking about their performances to pay her much attention. Mrs. Feinberg was setting up a couple of stools at the front of the class.

Eva scanned the classroom. Cecilia was nowhere to be seen. Neil was in the opposite corner of the room, practicing with Gertrude. He caught her eye briefly, but Eva looked away. She quietly dug out her sheet music, and began practicing her accompaniment.

Mrs. Feinberg rapped on her desk. "All right, everyone. Today's the day. Any volunteers for our first performance?"

A couple confident hands shot up. Their performance was pretty good. The second group was okay. The third group was lousy. The fourth group was stellar.

"Neil and Gertrude. Would you like to go up next?" Mrs. Feinberg yelled over the rousing applause for the last group.

Eva watched in awe as Neil and Gertrude pulled off an impressive rendition of _What a Wonderful World_. Eva remembered how much Neil hated that song, yet here he was — playing with full focus and commitment. Gertrude must've possessed some ungodly persuasive powers to get Neil to play a song on Mrs. Feinberg's song list.

Eva applauded sincerely once their song ended. She looked around the class. Where _was_ Cecilia?

Two by two, her classmates performed their duets until she was the last one left. Cecilia still hadn't shown up.

"Eva, would you happen to know where your partner is?" said Mrs. Feinberg.

Eva cleared her throat, since she hadn't spoken all morning. "No, Mrs. Feinberg."

"Well, I guess there's nothing to be done about it. Just come up and play your part of the duet."

Eva picked up her saxophone and made her lonely way to the front of the class, ignoring the murmurs and speculations buzzing amongst her classmates. She was all too aware of how puffy her eyes were. Eva had rarely felt so foolish in a class she was normally confident in.

She set the _Pink Panther Theme_ sheet music on the stand before her. No matter how many times she pored over this sheet music, Cecilia's and Gertrude's notes, which crowded the page, always distracted her.

She began playing her accompaniment with as much dignity as she could. It sounded absurd without the melody. At least the melody could be played independently from the accompaniment and still yield a decent performance. Eva, however, had only practiced the accompaniment — the half of the duet that, without its all-important melody, formed an incomplete song.

Yet, this was the only part of the song she knew well. The melody Eva depended on wasn't there.

Everyone else in the class got to play their duets. Was she really going to be the only solo just because Cecilia didn't show up?

She wanted to play a duet so badly it hurt, as though her heart were about to crack open.

Eva faltered mid-song, and trailed off into silence. The class just watched her curiously.

"It's all right. Just start again, and do your best," encouraged Mrs. Feinberg.

Eva looked up and caught Neil's eye. At that moment, something crackled between the two of them that - even years later - Eva could never describe. Whatever it was, it sparked an impulse so strong, she stood up off the stool, gripped her saxophone, and began a new accompaniment.

_Moon River._

Out poured every ounce of yearning and hope she still had — into the saxophone and out into the room. She gazed at Neil with her eyes ablaze — not with desperation, but with confidence.

Neil's mouth fell open in astonishment. Then little by little, Eva saw Neil break into the first genuine grin she had ever seen on his face.

He picked up his Old Rusty saxophone, and joined in with his melody.

Their song soared, swooped, and seethed with that dysfunctional harmony and virtuosity that only the two of them were capable of. It was messy, over-the-top, and clearly breaking the rules.

But oh, nothing in the world could have felt more _right_.

* * *

At the end of the class, one of Cecilia's friends — another one whom Eva hardly knew — passed around a giant sympathy card for everyone to sign. He informed everyone that Cecilia's stepfather had passed away, and he wanted to collect donations for her family.

Eva unfolded the huge card — it was the size of an open newspaper — and gazed down at the plethora of heartfelt messages and support. Cecilia was really quite lucky to have so many people rally around her. Multicolored paragraphs of prayers and love filled every square inch of the card; Eva didn't know where she could squeeze hers in.

There was a small, irregularly shaped blank space on the back of the card. Eva had to cram her message up against the bar code:

"You're in my thoughts and prayers. I'm just one phone call away.

\- Eva."

If Eva had known that Cecilia would drop out of high school the following week, or that decades would go by before she even saw Cecilia again, when their lives had diverged in drastically different directions, she would have written something a little more substantial. But life offers no such warnings.

All Eva knew was that, for better or worse, she will remain on the periphery of Cecilia's life. Just a sentence or two drowned out amidst a crowd of paragraphs. But still, that little three-inch bit of space on Cecilia's card will always belong to Eva.

And that mattered.

Eva folded up the card and handed it to the person sitting next to her. She gathered up her things and left the classroom.

She didn't go in the direction of her next class, however. Instead, she walked to a cluster of fir trees that separated the main campus from the park, and sat down beneath them for the duration of second period.

* * *

"You're still here?" came an approaching voice.

Eva was still there, sitting beneath the trees, by the time the bell signaling break had rung. She didn't bother looking over her shoulder.

Neil walked into her line of vision, blocking her view of the park. He set down his saxophone case and backpack, and leaned against one of the massive tree trunks.

Eva still didn't look at him.

Neil walked over until he was a few feet directly in front of Eva, and knelt down, forcing their eye contact.

"Hi," said Neil, with a crooked grin. "Wow, your face looks terrible."

"...Hi, Neil," Eva mumbled.

"I don't know about you, but if I _really_ wanted to be alone, I would've just ditched campus completely. Since you didn't, you must be one of those girls who are all like 'Oh, I'm gonna go over here for some alone time, but I hope _someone_ comes after me to show me they still care!' Y'know, those girls who post melodramatic status updates, just so they get a ton of replies from people who took the bait?"

"Are you mocking me?"

"Hey, did I say that was a bad thing? People gotta do what they gotta do. I'm willing to bet your coping mechanisms are healthier than mine."

"If you can call staring at your phone's contact list until four in the morning healthy..."

Neil didn't say anything. His smirk faded.

"You know, I never realized how much I depended on Cecilia until I realized how little she depended on me," admitted Eva. "Or if she did, she hid it really well. Not only did she not need me to comfort her, she got angry with me for trying. But really, I was the one who wanted to feel loved. I wanted to be the kind of friend that I really needed. And God, do I need it..."

Her voice broke. She buried her face in her arms as the shame overtook her anew.

"I was such an idiot. She was going through all these terrible things, and what did I do? I asked her to reassure _me_. To tell me that she needed me. What the hell was I thinking unloading my trivial insecurities onto her at a time like that?"

The words constricted in Eva's chest, preventing her from speaking further.

Neil frowned. "Huh...Why is Cecilia's life the almighty yardstick you use to measure the validity of your own problems? I mean, sure, blah blah perspective, but come on. How much does a person's life have to suck before they deserve compassion? Why would you treat people's sympathy like some scarce, finite commodity — something you have to earn, like currency?"

Eva stared at her knees, hardly daring to believe him.

"Also..." said Neil. "Why are you unloading your insecurities onto me?"

Eva looked up at him. He didn't sound annoyed. He was asking her to think.

"...Because you're here listening to me," said Eva.

"And why am I here listening to you?"

"Because..."

Eva stared at Neil. She saw her own reflection gazing back at her in his glasses. For a moment, she thought she could see his eyes behind them.

"Because we're friends," she murmured.

"And why are we friends?" said Neil, with a smile.

"Because...I played our _Moon River_ duet?"

Neil laughed. He stood up and pulled Eva to her feet.

"That reminds me," he said, pulling out a folded sheet of paper from his back pocket. He handed it to Eva.

"Wait, was I right?" asked Eva. She looked down at the folded paper.

"Neil 'Flippant Fingers' Watts" was scrawled across it in a swoopy, ostentatious signature.

"You're...giving me your autograph?"

"You better keep that. That's gonna be worth a million bucks one day!" said Neil, pushing up his glasses with swagger.

"I'm still not calling you Flippant Fingers."

"Well, there'll be a spot on the bandwagon for you whenever you feel like hopping in," said Neil with a carefree wave. He picked up his things, and began to walk back towards campus.

Eva unfolded the piece of paper. Her mouth fell open, and she gave a laugh.

"Neil! When did you do this?" called Eva.

"During second period Economics!" Neil called over his shoulder. "It was either that or fall asleep!"

Eva looked down at the paper. It was sheet music crammed with overly complex notation written in Neil's messy handwriting.

And written on the top:

"_Moon River_ \- the world's craziest duet as performed by Eva Rosalene and Neil 'Flippant Fingers' Watts"

Eva shook her head as a grin crept on her face. She hurriedly gathered up her things and followed her duet partner back to campus.

~Fin


End file.
